money getting tight?

Hey Rbirke

Starts with a RE then follows with a CESS and ends with ION

:)

Fall is supposedly the very slowest time for selling on Agon.

I don't believe no story 'bout no recessions. But sure wish I had me a job tho.

As for your 'steal' prices. I bought and sold a pair of 11' Satori shotguns over a year ago. Your price on the Satori's is not exactly what I would call a 'steal'.

-IMO

It appears that your idea of 'steal' prices, and the potential buyer's idea of 'steal' prices, are not the same. The prices I saw are not what I would call a steal, in fact, they seem a little high to me. Not that I'm interested in any of those items. To me, a steal is getting a 9/10 preamp or amp for over 50% off MSRP, or cables for over 60% off. A smart shopper can get brand new from a dealer with warranty for 30% off, or even more sometimes. So 30-40% off of used is not a steal, in my book anyway.

Hello "Rbirke",

Auctions are very difficult to master. I've been doing this for several years, mostly on AudiogoN, and I can offer a couple of tips to help you sell your gear without losing your shirt...

It's not uncommon for "no reserve" auctions that have a starting bid of at or more than 50% of retail for (even mint) used gear, not to get any bids. Bidders are usually afraid to commit to a first bid of that nature.

The first thing to do after you have posted it, is to get your auction noticed. The more views you get, the more likely you are going to sell your item for a reasonable price. You can do this by posting your auction in BOLD print -its a little extra money well spent.

Next, find a newsgroup that you can post to (i.e. rec.audio.marketplace) that will draw people to your auction site. Also, if you have any AudiogoN members that you have done business with, shoot them an e-mail (if you don't think they will mind) telling them that you have certain items up for auction.

Now that you have some additional traffic going to your auction(s), timing is important. We have found that the best time to start an auction is either on Monday morning or Friday morning, and schedule it to close on Monday night or Friday night. These times draw the most traffic for auctions.

Okay, the safest way to auction is to start your auction at $1.00, with a reserve at your minimum selling price and have the buyer pay the shipping. This will at least give you a list of members that show interest in your item(s). So if your reserve is not met at the close, you can contact them and perhaps negotiate a sale. With a high starting bid, if no one bids, then you don't know who would be interested (unless THEY e-mail you).

The best way (WARNING: also the most risky, however) is the "$1.00 No Reserve" auction. In this auction, you will want to make sure that you advertise in the title somewhere that it IS a $1 No Reserve auction. It may also benefit the auction to include the retail price in the title as well. This type of auction draws BY FAR the most attention to your auction, and yeilds by far the most bids.

You may or may not get your minimum selling price in this type of auction, but it is virtually guaranteed to sell. Granted, the more detail you can share about your item (include review links or references if at all possible), and the better the photos you can provide, will influence the bidding positively. Also, the more well-known an item is the higher the bids will go.

Don't quote me on this (because it's not an exact science), but if you implement all, or at least most of the above suggestions in a $1.00 No Reseve auction, I could see your Bryston and your Rouge getting anywhere from 50-70% of retail. Only a select (no punn intended) few cables can frequently get more than 50% of retail in the used market.

I hope this helps. Feel free to e-mail me if you have any additional questions.

Best regards,

-Donald

W ENTERPRISES NORTHWEST - Portland, OR USA
"High End Audio That Is Music To Your Ears"
| www.wenterprisesnw.com | [email protected] |